Did you teach your children ABC names or sounds?

[happymainemom]

After having twins and thinking about teaching all over again, I would like to explore the idea of teaching them the sounds for the letters instead of the names first. Any thoughts on this? I figure that we teach them the names for the letters but then turn around and teach them the sounds.

 

What is your opinion? Would reading come easier if we teach the sounds first? Would they end up being delayed in their spelling because they can't "sound" T and H separately and should therefore know the letter names first? Would they get messed up on consonant blends, vowel pairs and R changed vowels?

 

thanks.

[Chris in VA]

I've known people to do both. I guess my question would be, since letters make more than one sound, which sound would you teach them?

 

Personally, I think it's better to teach them the name and then say the letter stands for certain sounds (and I introduce short vowels first), much like I teach that a dog (name) goes "ruff ruff" or whatever. I do try to avoid saying the letter "makes a sound," because the letter doesn't actually do that (unless you have those cool magnet kind that make a noise when you push them! lol).

 

I guess, to me, I like one thing to stay steady--the name of the object. It's like finding out a cat isn't a cat! But knowing the cat can meow or purr, depending on the circumstances, seems ok with me.

 

IDK--I think both methods work, in the end, I'm just more comfortable with the usual way. Also, it makes verbal spelling a lot easier--although, by the time you get to spelling, most kids would know the name of the letter anyway.

[JudoMom]

After having twins and thinking about teaching all over again, I would like to explore the idea of teaching them the sounds for the letters instead of the names first. Any thoughts on this? I figure that we teach them the names for the letters but then turn around and teach them the sounds.

 

What is your opinion? Would reading come easier if we teach the sounds first? Would they end up being delayed in their spelling because they can't "sound" T and H separately and should therefore know the letter names first? Would they get messed up on consonant blends, vowel pairs and R changed vowels?

 

thanks.

 

I throw in the LeapFrog Letter Factory DVD and let it take care of the teaching (it teaches name & sound).

[bethben]

Ds #1 learned the names of letters first. He reads just fine and had no problems. When learning to read, I had to remind him of what the letter said. He reads well and above his grade level - his spelling is not too shabby either. Ds #2 learned all the letter sounds first due to the leap frog letter factory. He learned to read a little earlier and a little faster. He also seems to be more interested in writing words down and has figured out a lot of spelling words on his own. I used to think that spelling instruction should be left until they're reading really well, but with this kid, I don't want him learning the wrong way to spell words. I need to jump ahead of him a bit. He learned over the past 6 months or so what the letters names are also. It could just be the learning style of the kiddos too, but this is my limited experience.

 

Beth

[Guest aquiverfull]

I have mixed feelings about it. I do however, think it's a good idea it's just not one that I'm used to.

I plan to teach them the letter names and sounds, most likely the names first. I do have a 3 year old who is having trouble learning the letters so I may try something different with her.

 

There are programs who promote learning letter sounds first over letter names. Some Orton-Gillingham based programs do this. The Phonics Road has you teaching letter sounds. The first level is meant for 1st grade so I wonder if the author expects the child to already know the letter names, I'm not sure. All sounds for a letter are taught, not just short and long sounds. If a child knows all the sounds a letter makes (therefore knowing all the phonograms) then that will help tremendously with reading and spelling.

Edited March 31, 2010 by aquiverfull

[hsmom]

Well I did the letter sounds first and now I have a problem with him knowing the letter names. Like now we are starting spelling, I asking him to spell the word for me. So, instead of telling me C A T, he gives the sound for C the sound for A the sound for T. Then I tell him, no I don't want you to sound out the word, I want the letter names and for you to spell it for me. He knows the names, but tends to associate sounds with the letters more instead.

If I had to do it over I would have taught the names and the sounds together and never separated the whole process. We did do the leapfrog dvd's and he still picked up the sounds more than the names.

[HootyTooty]

I throw in the LeapFrog Letter Factory DVD and let it take care of the teaching (it teaches name & sound).

I did this with my youngest. He started to watch when he was 2 and he could just say the sounds of the letters, then after a few months he was saying letter sound and the name.

[Prairie]

My 4 year old (now) learned the letters and sounds (both) by placing the letters in the little leapfrog refrigerator magnet. It says "A, A says (short vowel sound) and A says (other vowel sound) Every letter makes a sound, A says () and A says ()."

 

I know it sounds silly but I didn't spend time teaching him, he knew them when we started 'school' this past fall. I'm using the Oridinary Parents Guide to Teaching Reading and this week we will move in to consonant blends. (Ok, I"m not bragging, I just think thats really cool for a 4 year old that can read and not get frustrated with it. The OPGTR really is working well for us.)

[Haiku]

I taught my kids both. I figured that they need to know both. They need to know the sounds the letters make so that they can read, and they need to know the names of the letters because nobody refers to letters by their sounds. I saw no need to teach names and sounds separately.

 

Tara

[abbeyej]

I focused on letter sounds (I didn't pretend the names didn't exist, it just wasn't of primary importance). So far both of my kids read earlier than average (ds was reading simple chapter books fluently and with expression at 3; dd started reading fluently at 5, but was reading Ramona books and such before turning 6). Would they have done the same if we had focused on letter names? Possibly. I have no doubt that my teaching was only a small part of why they read early, and an even lesser part in how they came to be "natural" spellers.

 

But I do feel that, especially with preschoolers, there are advantages to focusing on letter sounds and lowercase letters, since that's how we actually *read* most of the time. Both of my kids did learn the letter names and how to alphabetize, etc. :) I just didn't worry about that while they were tiny. I just wanted them to have the pleasure of reading. :)

[violinmom]

Sounds! There is a great explanation about this in the book, "Reading Reflex."

[siloam]

After having twins and thinking about teaching all over again, I would like to explore the idea of teaching them the sounds for the letters instead of the names first. Any thoughts on this? I figure that we teach them the names for the letters but then turn around and teach them the sounds.

 

What is your opinion? Would reading come easier if we teach the sounds first? Would they end up being delayed in their spelling because they can't "sound" T and H separately and should therefore know the letter names first? Would they get messed up on consonant blends, vowel pairs and R changed vowels?

 

thanks.

 

I teach sounds primarily, but I don't shy away from names either.

 

My oldest though did know the names, and she was the easiest to teach to read. That is because the rest are dyslexic where my oldest is dysgraphic and dyscalculic.

 

My youngest two will still often answer with the sound before the name of the letter, when covering spelling rules.

 

Personally I think your average child would do fine with either. They would have a slight edge for knowing the phonics sounds better than the letter names, but in the end if they use a good phonics program both will end up in the same spot, IMO. When you have LD's at play it really helps to focus on letter sounds because it cuts out a lot of confusion. They don't try to use the name for the sound when sounding out words.

 

Heather

 

[wy_kid_wrangler04]

After having twins and thinking about teaching all over again, I would like to explore the idea of teaching them the sounds for the letters instead of the names first. Any thoughts on this? I figure that we teach them the names for the letters but then turn around and teach them the sounds.

 

What is your opinion? Would reading come easier if we teach the sounds first? Would they end up being delayed in their spelling because they can't "sound" T and H separately and should therefore know the letter names first? Would they get messed up on consonant blends, vowel pairs and R changed vowels?

 

thanks.

 

 

I'm doing both at the same time. It's working GREAT!

[JenC3]

My ds 3 knows all his letter sounds, but still has trouble with about 10 letters. He has learned them by playing on starfall.com. My dd 6 started reading letters at 20 months which was weird and just learned them on her own. We taught letter sounds later, but she was a quick learner so I don't remember much about it.

[Evergreen State Sue]

We used Sing, Spell, Read, Write when they were 4-6 age range. They used sounds and had a cute little jingle:

 

Aa apple, bb ball, cc cat, and dd doll . . .

[Aurelia]

Sounds first. We used the Leapfrog videos and I think it actually helped learning to read, since Ariel doesn't have to go through the letter name to remember it's sound.

[FO4UR]

I throw in the LeapFrog Letter Factory DVD and let it take care of the teaching (it teaches name & sound).

 

:iagree:

 

I teach the names when we sing the ABC song, read ABC books, etc...

 

However, I emphasize the sound first. My dc, at 2 and 3yo called b /b/, t /t/, and so on. I think this helped dd5 learn how to blend letters into words at an early age without much help or prodding from me.

 

Really, the names are picked up without much effort with the help of Starfall and LeapFrog and Dr Suess...those sounds must be taught so that's what I stress when I get the chance. As far as multi-letter phonograms...I teach them much the same way I taught the letter sounds. (SWR phonograms) I also teach all the sounds a letter makes EARLY on.